Manitou Mountain Monsters offers a place for fun and competition

Serena Holvenstot, Reporter
March 2, 2022

Cedric Ebler (9) attacks in effort to be the first biker to make it to the finish line. (Jack Hulett)

Adam Krych and Cedric Ebler, freshman at Manitou Springs High School joined the 2021-2022 Manitou Mountain Monsters biking team in hopes to form new friendships and get in touch with nature. 

Krych has been a part of the Mountain Monsters team since he was in 6th grade. “Mountain biking is a special sport because in my opinion, it is both a team and individual sport,” Krych said. “You ride with your team and you give and get encouragement, but there is also a level of independence. Unlike a full team sport, not every person on the team has to be at their prime in order for it to run well.”

Much fun comes from being a Mountain Monster, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any challenges. “The hardest part is probably the schedule for the team,” Krych said. “Riding weeknights sometimes interferes with homework and other activities.” 

Ebler has been mountain biking since the end of his 8th grade year. “I joined the team to be able to hangout with new people and have a fun time in the outdoors,” Ebler said. 

Ebler doesn’t plan on abandoning his passion for mountain biking, for he plans on putting these skills to use in the future. “I will bike after high school because I want to work for Santa Cruz [Bicycles],” Ebler said. 

Coach Jenn Vaillancourt has been coaching mountain biking for over 15 years, but began coaching the Mountain Monsters in 2016, when the team first began. Vaillancourt works hard to make sure practices are structured and the bikers are successful. 

“We set practices up like a ski resort, with different levels. If you are a beginner, you work on your skills and drills, and then you take that to the trail. If you are intermediate, you work your skills and drills, but you ride for longer. If you are on the race team, you train all season to prepare for the first race every year in Leadville,” Vaillancourt said. 

As Krych, Ebler, Coach Vaillancourt and the rest of the team await next season to approach, they continue to push themselves to view biking as more of a lifestyle than a sport. “I want to explore new places and get outdoors while having fun doing it,” said Krych.